1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for forming glass sheets.
2. Background Art
Glass sheets are conventionally formed by heating on a conveyor within a furnace and then forming within a heated chamber prior to delivery for cooling. Such cooling can be slow cooling to provide annealing or faster cooling that provides heat strengthening or tempering. In connection with heating of the glass sheets, see United States Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,312 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,242 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,711 McMaster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,011 McMaster; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,460 McMaster. In connection with glass sheet forming, see United States Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,026 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,871 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,390 McMaster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,141 Nitschke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,925 Thimons et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,491 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,550 Kuster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,470 Kormanyos et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,034 Mumford et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,668 Mumford et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,162 Nitschke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,491 Nitschke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,587 Mumford et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,754 Nitschke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,798 Nitschke et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,160 Nitschke et al. In connection with the cooling, see United States Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,291 McMaster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,838 McMaster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,491 Barr; U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,786 Shetterly et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,107 Ducat et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,094 Ducat et al.
During the forming process, the heated glass sheets can be supported by a vacuum generated at a downwardly facing mold whose initial support of the glass sheet upon being received from a heating conveyor can be assisted by an upwardly directed heated gas flow that can be provided by gas jet pumps, such as disclosed by United States Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,854 McMaster et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,763 McMaster.
For effective high yield glass sheet forming, it is important for cooperable molds to be properly positioned upon mounting and aligned with each other during each cycle of operation therebetween, which is made more difficult due to the heated environment in which the glass sheet forming takes place. See, U.S. Pat. No.: 4,781,745 Mumford; U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,592 Buckingham; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,916 McMaster; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,728 McMaster. The heated environment also makes it more difficult to change molds between different production runs that cannot utilize the same molds. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,561 Schnabel, Jr. which discloses changing a cloth ring on a glass sheet heating furnace.
After forming, heat strengthening or tempering can be performed by rapid cooling at a quench section between lower and upper quench modules thereof and may have provision for transferring the glass sheet during such cooling by blowing a greater amount of gas upwardly so as to permit the associated quench ring that carries the glass sheet to move back to the heated forming station in preparation for the next cycle. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,432 McMaster et al.
All of the above cited patents are hereby incorporated by reference.